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Angus (Forfarshire) / Re: Blaikie Mill?
« on: Tuesday 28 August 18 16:19 BST (UK) »
This may be too late to be useful, or perhaps of no value at all.
Just wanted to share with you that, as an American Air Force officer posted to the nearby RAF base, I lived in the Blaikie Mill house from 1985 to 1987, and did a little research about the location, in the Brechin library. And to be clear, it is "Blaikie Mill" (see the third photo below). I learned that the mill was used by tenant farmers of the Aldbar Castle Estate which was located just across the Aberlemno Road from Blaikie Mill. The Aldbar buildings burned down sometime in the 20th century, and there are no viewable ruins extant. Only the gated entrance seen (with a view of Blaikie Mill house) in the second photo below. Those are our Triumph cars in the first photo. Local legend has it that one of the millers resident in the house suffered a fatal accident in the mill while moving a millstone that fell and broke his back, and that he expired in one of the upstairs bedrooms. My cats refused to enter the bedroom on the south side of the upstairs, so that seemed to support the legend that the house is now haunted by the miller's ghost, although we felt it was a 'friendly' presence. Although we had liquid gas for central heat and water, we used the fireplace almost daily, burning wood, coal, and peat. Very cozy. In winter, the lane from Aberlemno Road down to the house (4th photo) could become impassable due to heavy snow, and (parking our cars up on the roadside) we used a sledge to slide fuel and groceries down to the house. Our landlord's name was Sandeman, and he lived (?lives?) in an equally old farm just across the South Esk river which flows by about 200 yards behind the house. Hope this helps.
Just wanted to share with you that, as an American Air Force officer posted to the nearby RAF base, I lived in the Blaikie Mill house from 1985 to 1987, and did a little research about the location, in the Brechin library. And to be clear, it is "Blaikie Mill" (see the third photo below). I learned that the mill was used by tenant farmers of the Aldbar Castle Estate which was located just across the Aberlemno Road from Blaikie Mill. The Aldbar buildings burned down sometime in the 20th century, and there are no viewable ruins extant. Only the gated entrance seen (with a view of Blaikie Mill house) in the second photo below. Those are our Triumph cars in the first photo. Local legend has it that one of the millers resident in the house suffered a fatal accident in the mill while moving a millstone that fell and broke his back, and that he expired in one of the upstairs bedrooms. My cats refused to enter the bedroom on the south side of the upstairs, so that seemed to support the legend that the house is now haunted by the miller's ghost, although we felt it was a 'friendly' presence. Although we had liquid gas for central heat and water, we used the fireplace almost daily, burning wood, coal, and peat. Very cozy. In winter, the lane from Aberlemno Road down to the house (4th photo) could become impassable due to heavy snow, and (parking our cars up on the roadside) we used a sledge to slide fuel and groceries down to the house. Our landlord's name was Sandeman, and he lived (?lives?) in an equally old farm just across the South Esk river which flows by about 200 yards behind the house. Hope this helps.